Joan Sutherland, celebrated opera singer, dies aged 83 | Culture | The Guardian Joan Sutherland, celebrated opera singer, dies aged 83 Tributes paid to Australian soprano, known in her heyday as 'la stupenda', whose career spanned four decades Joan Sutherland pictured in 2004. Antonio Pappano, music director of the Royal Opera House, described her as 'one of the true greats. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP Charlotte Higgins , chief arts writer Monday 11 October 2010 13.27 EDT First published on Monday 11 October 2010 13.27 EDT Close This article is 6 years old Joan Sutherland , the opera star known in her heyday as 'la stupenda', and Maria Callas's successor as the most celebrated soprano in the world, has died at her home in Switzerland, aged 83. Sutherland shot to fame in 1959 in Franco Zeffirelli's production of Lucia di Lammermoor , with its famous mad scene.

By then, she had been singing at the Royal Opera House since 1952, and continued to do so until her last production, Donizetti's Anna Bolena, in 1988. She was also a mentor and friend to the young Luciano Pavarotti . Sutherland, who was born in Sydney in 1926, married the Australian conductor Richard Bonynge in 1954. With his guidance, she began to specialise in the Italian bel canto repertoire, especially Donizetti, Bellini and Verdi roles such as Violetta in La Traviata. Antonio Pappano, the music director of the Royal Opera House, paid tribute. "I had the opportunity to work with Joan on two occasions: [Francesco Cilea's] Adriana Lecouvreur – I was the lowly prompter – and Anna Bolena. She actually was 'stupenda'. A lovely human being who could sing anybody off the stage – and I mean anybody. What she did for bel canto music and its technique cannot be underestimated.

We have lost one of the true greats." Author and music blogger Norman Lebrecht described her as a "simple, friendly woman, happiest in a dressing room with a magazine and her knitting. She avoided tantrums, had no airs and graces, and in retirement shunned the limelight. For all her unassuming personal modesty, her voice defined an operatic era." Ahead of a Guardian interview in 2002 , which was to take place at the Royal Opera House, she said: "I don't think anyone remembers me there now." Fortunately she was quite wrong: she was stopped by staff members asking for her autograph as she walked through the building. Joan Sutherland, Soprano Known as ‘La Stupenda,’ Dies at 83 - The New York Times The New York Times Music |Joan Sutherland, Flawless Soprano, Is Dead at 83 Search Joan Sutherland , one of the most acclaimed sopranos of the 20th century, a singer of such power and range that she was crowned “La Stupenda,” died on Sunday at her home in Switzerland, near Montreux. She was 83.

Her death was confirmed by her close friend the mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne. It was Italy’s notoriously picky critics who dubbed the Australian-born Ms. Sutherland the Stupendous One after her Italian debut, in Venice in 1960. And for 40 years the name endured with opera lovers around the world. Her 1961 debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, in Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor,” generated so much excitement that standees began lining up at 7:30 that morning. Her singing of the Mad Scene drew a thunderous 12-minute ovation. Ms. Sutherland’s singing was founded on astonishing technique. Her voice was evenly produced throughout an enormous range, from a low G to effortless flights above high C. She could spin lyrical phrases with elegant legato, subtle colorings and expressive nuances. Her sound was warm, vibrant and resonant, without any forcing. Indeed, her voice was so naturally large that at the start of her career Ms. Sutherland seemed destined to become a Wagnerian dramatic soprano. Following her first professional performances, in 1948, during a decade of steady growth and intensive training, Ms.

Sutherland developed incomparable facility for fast runs, elaborate roulades and impeccable trills. She did not compromise the passagework, as many do, by glossing over scurrying runs, but sang almost every note fully. Her abilities led Richard Bonynge, the Sydney-born conductor and vocal coach whom she married in 1954, to persuade her early on to explore the early-19th-century Italian opera of the bel canto school. She became a major force in its revitalization. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Bel canto (which translates as “beautiful song” or “beautiful singing”) denotes an approach to singing exemplified by evenness through the range and great agility. The term also refers to the early-19th-century Italian operas steeped in bel canto style. Outside of Italy, the repertory had languished for decades when Maria Callas appeared in the early 1950s and demonstrated that operas like “Lucia di Lammermoor” and Bellini’s “Norma” were not just showcases for coloratura virtuosity but musically elegant and dramatically gripping works as well. Even as a young man, Mr.

Bonynge had uncommon knowledge of bel canto repertory and style. Ms. Sutherland and Mr. Bonynge, who is four years younger than she, met in Sydney at a youth concert and became casual friends. They were reacquainted later in London, where Ms. Sutherland settled with her mother in 1951 to attend the Royal College of Music. There Mr. Bonynge became the major influence on her development. Ms. Sutherland used to say she thought of herself and her husband as a duo and that she didn’t talk of her career, “but of ours.” In a 1961 profile in The New York Times Magazine she said she initially had “a big rather wild voice” that was not heavy enough for Wagner, although she did not realize this until she heard “Wagner sung as it should be.” “Richard had decided — long before I agreed with him — that I was a coloratura,” she said. “We fought like cats and dogs over it,” she said, adding, “It took Richard three years to convince me.” In her repertory choices Ms.

Sutherland ranged widely during the 1950s, singing lighter lyric Mozart roles like the Countess in “Le Nozze di Figaro” and heavier Verdi roles like Amelia in “Un Ballo in Maschera.” Even then, astute listeners realized that she was en route to becoming something extraordinary. In a glowing and perceptive review of her performance as Desdemona in Verdi’s “Otello” at Covent Garden in London in late 1957, the critic Andrew Porter, writing in The Financial Times, commended her for not “sacrificing purity to power.” This is “not her way,” Mr. Porter wrote, “and five years on we shall bless her for her not endeavoring now to be ‘exciting’ but, instead, lyrical and beautiful.” Photo Joan Sutherland in 1965 in her signature role Lucia di Lammermoor. She helped restore bel canto operas to popularity. Credit Bob Ganley/NBC She became an international sensation after her career-defining performance in the title role of “Lucia di Lammermoor” at Covent Garden — its first presentation there since 1925 — which opened on Feb.

17, 1959. The production was directed by Franco Zeffirelli and conducted by the Italian maestro Tullio Serafin, a longtime Callas colleague, who elicited from the 32-year-old soprano a vocally resplendent and dramatically affecting portrayal of the trusting, unstable young bride of Lammermoor. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Mr. Porter, reviewing the performance in The Financial Times, wrote that the brilliance of Ms. Sutherland’s singing was to be expected by this point. The surprise, he explained, was the new dramatic presence she brought to bear. “The traces of self-consciousness, of awkwardness on the stage, had disappeared; and at the same time she sang more freely, more powerfully, more intensely — and also more bewitchingly — than ever before.” This triumph was followed in 1960 by landmark portrayals in neglected bel canto operas by Bellini: Elvira in “I Puritani” at the Glyndebourne Festival (the first presentation in England since 1887) and “La Sonnambula” at Covent Garden (the company’s first production in half a century). Ms.

Sutherland’s American debut came in November 1960 in the title role of Handel’s “Alcina” at the Dallas Opera, the first American production of this now-popular work. Her distinguished Decca recording of “Lucia di Lammermoor,” with an exceptional cast conducted by John Pritchard, was released in 1961, the year of her enormously anticipated Metropolitan Opera debut in that same work, on Nov. 26. At Ms. Sutherland’s first appearance, before she had sung a note, there was an enthusiastic ovation. Following the first half of Lucia’s Mad Scene in the final act, which culminated in a glorious high E-flat, the ovation lasted almost 5 minutes. When she finished the scene and her crazed, dying Lucia collapsed to the stage floor, the ovation lasted 12 minutes. Reviewing the performance in The New York Times, Harold C. Schonberg wrote that other sopranos might have more power or a sweeter tone, but “there is none around who has the combination of technique, vocal security, clarity and finesse that Miss Sutherland can summon.” Even for some admirers, though, there were limitations to her artistry.

Her diction was often indistinct. After receiving steady criticism for this shortcoming, Ms. Sutherland worked to correct it, and sang with crisper enunciation in the 1970s. Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up Privacy Policy She was also sometimes criticized for delivering dramatically bland performances. At 5-foot-9, she was a large woman, with long arms and large hands, and a long, wide face. As her renown increased, she insisted that designers create costumes for her that compensated for her figure, which, as she admitted self-deprecatingly in countless interviews, was somewhat flat in the bust but wide in the rib cage. Certain dresses could make her look like “a large column walking about the stage,” she wrote in “The Autobiography of Joan Sutherland: A Prima Donna’s Progress” (1997). Paradoxically, Mr. Bonynge contributed to the sometimes dramatically uninvolved quality of her performances. By the mid-1960s he was her conductor of choice, often part of the deal when she signed a contract.

Trained as a pianist and vocal coach, he essentially taught himself conducting. Even after extended experience, he was not the maestro opera fans turned to for arresting performances of Verdi’s “Traviata.” But he thoroughly understood the bel canto style and was attuned to every component of his wife’s voice. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Yet if urging her to be sensible added to her longevity, it sometimes resulted in her playing it safe. Other conductors prodded Ms. Sutherland to sing with greater intensity: for example, Georg Solti, in an acclaimed 1967 recording of Verdi’s Requiem with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera Chorus, and Zubin Mehta, who enticed Ms. Sutherland into recording the title role in Puccini’s “Turandot,” which she never sang onstage, for a 1972 recording. Both of these projects featured the tenor Luciano Pavarotti, who would become an ideal partner for Ms. Sutherland in the bel canto repertory. Ms. Sutherland’s fiery Turandot suggests she had dramatic abilities that were never tapped. Joan Alston Sutherland was born on Nov.

7, 1926, in Sydney, where the family lived in a modest house overlooking the harbor. The family garden and the rich array of wildflowers on the hillside near the beach inspired her lifelong love of gardening. Her mother, Muriel Sutherland, was a fine mezzo-soprano who had studied with Mathilde Marchesi, the teacher of the Australian soprano Nellie Melba. Though too shy for the stage, Ms. Sutherland’s mother did vocal exercises every day and was her daughter’s principal teacher throughout her adolescence. Photo Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti in “I Puritani” at the Metropolitan Opera in 1976. Credit Associated Press Ms. Sutherland’s father, William, a Scottish-born tailor, had been married before. His first wife died during the influenza epidemic after World War I, leaving him with three daughters and a son. Ms. Sutherland was the only child of his second marriage. He died on the day of Ms. Sutherland’s sixth birthday. He had just given her a new bathing suit and she wanted to try it out. Though feeling unwell, he climbed down to the beach with her and, upon returning, collapsed in his wife’s arms.

Joan, along with her youngest half-sister and their mother, moved into the home of an aunt and uncle, who had sufficient room and a big garden in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra. Although Ms. Sutherland’s mother soon recognized her daughter’s gifts, she pegged her as a mezzo-soprano. At 16, facing the reality of having to support herself, Ms. Sutherland completed a secretarial course and took office jobs, while keeping up her vocal studies. She began lessons in Sydney with Aida Dickens, who convinced her that she was a soprano, very likely a dramatic soprano. Ms. Sutherland began singing oratorios and radio broadcasts and made a notable debut in 1947 as Purcell’s Dido in Sydney. In 1951, with prize money from winning a prestigious vocal competition, she and her mother moved to London, where Ms. Sutherland enrolled at the opera school of the Royal College of Music.

The next year, after three previous unsuccessful auditions, she was accepted into the Royal Opera at Covent Garden and made her debut as the First Lady in Mozart’s “Zauberflöte.” In the company’s landmark 1952 production of Bellini’s “Norma,” starring Maria Callas, Ms. Sutherland sang the small role of Clotilde, Norma’s confidante. “Now look after your voice,” Callas advised her at the time, adding, “We’re going to hear great things of you.” “I lusted to sing Norma after being in those performances with Callas,” Ms. Sutherland said in a 1998 New York Times interview . “But I knew that I could not sing it the way she did. It was 10 years before I sang the role. During that time I studied it, sang bits of it, and worked with Richard.

But I had to evolve my own way to sing it, and I would have wrecked my voice to ribbons had I tried to sing it like her.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story In 1955 she created the lead role of Jenifer in Michael Tippett’s “Midsummer Marriage.” During this period Ms. Sutherland gave birth to her only child, Adam, who survives her, along with two grandchildren and Mr. Bonynge, her husband of 56 years. Immediately after her breakthrough performances as Lucia in 1959, Ms. Sutherland underwent sinus surgery to correct persistent problems with nasal passages that were chronically prone to becoming clogged. Though it was a risky operation for a singer, it was deemed successful. In the early 1960s, using a home in southern Switzerland as a base, Ms. Sutherland made the rounds, singing in international opera houses and forming a close association with the Met, where she ultimately sang 223 performances. These included an acclaimed new production of “Norma” in 1970 with Ms. Horne in her Met debut, singing Adalgisa; Mr. Bonynge conducted.

There was also a hugely popular 1972 production of Donizetti’s “Fille du Régiment,” with Pavarotti singing the role of Tonio. Though never a compelling actress, Ms. Sutherland exuded vocal charisma, a good substitute for dramatic intensity. In the comic role of Marie in “La Fille du Régiment,” she conveyed endearingly awkward girlishness as the orphaned tomboy raised by an army regiment, proudly marching in place in her uniform while tossing off the vocal flourishes. Ms. Sutherland was plain-spoken and down to earth, someone who enjoyed needlepoint and playing with her grandchildren. Though she knew who she was, she was quick to poke fun at her prima donna persona. “I love all those demented old dames of the old operas,” she said in a 1961 Times profile. “All right, so they’re loony. The music’s wonderful.” Queen Elizabeth II made Ms. Sutherland a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1978. Her bluntness sometimes caused her trouble.

In 1994, addressing a luncheon organized by a group in favor of retaining the monarchy in Australia, she complained of having to be interviewed by a foreign-born clerk when applying to renew her passport, “a Chinese or an Indian — I’m not particularly racist — but find it ludicrous, when I’ve had a passport for 40 years.” Her remarks were widely reported, and she later apologized. In retirement she mostly lived quietly at home but was persuaded to sit on juries of vocal competitions and, less often, to present master classes. In 2004 she received a Kennedy Center Honor for outstanding achievement throughout her career. In 2008, while gardening at her home in Switzerland, she fell and broke both legs, which led to a lengthy hospital stay. Other sopranos may have been more musically probing and dramatically vivid. But few were such glorious vocalists.

After hearing her New York debut in “Beatrice di Tenda” at Town Hall, the renowned Brazilian soprano Bidú Sayão, herself beloved for the sheer beauty of her voice, said, “If there is perfection in singing, this is it.” A version of this article appears in print on October 12, 2010, on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: JOAN SUTHERLAND, 1926-2010; Flawless Soprano and the Essence of Bel Canto. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe Richard Bonynge - Biography - IMDb Richard Bonynge Jump to: Overview (2) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trivia (5) Overview (2) Richard Alan Bonynge Mini Bio (1) Richard Bonynge was born on September 29, 1930 in Sydney, Australia as Richard Alan Bonynge. He is known for his work on Spectre (2015), Carlito's Way (1993) and Five Corners (1987). He was previously married to Joan Sutherland .

Spouse (1) ( 16 October 1954 - 10 October 2010) (her death) (1 child) Trivia (5) Last name pronounced "Bonning." In 1976 he became musical director of Australian Opera. He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1983 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to Music. Switzerland [February 2009] Joan Sutherland - Biography - IMDb Joan Sutherland Jump to: Overview (5) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trivia (11) | Personal Quotes (5) Overview (5) The Voice of the Century La Prima Donna Absoluta 5' 9" (1.75 m) Mini Bio (1) Joan Sutherland was born on November 7, 1926 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia as Joan Alston Sutherland. She was an actress, known for Spectre (2015), Carlito's Way (1993) and Dad and Dave: On Our Selection (1995).

She was married to Richard Bonynge . She died on October 10, 2010 in Montreux, Switzerland. Spouse (1) ( 16 October 1954 - 10 October 2010) (her death) (1 child) Trivia (11) Opera singer. Dame Joan Sutherland is an internationally acclaimed opera singer, whose soprano voice has sold many records. Her husband, Richard Bonynge , is an Orchestral Conductor. She is the mother of a son. She was awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1979 Queen's New Years Honors List for her services to Opera. She was awarded the C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) on June 10, 1961 in the Queen's Birthday Honors List for her services to Opera. She was was awarded the A.C. (Companion of the Order of Australia) on June 9, 1975 in the Queen's Birthday Honors List for her services to Opera. She was awarded the O.M.

(Order of Merit of the British Empire) on November 29, 1991 for her services to the performing arts. Awarded honorary degree of DMus from the Universities of Sydney (1984) and Oxford (1992). Recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004, along with Elton John , John Williams , Warren Beatty , and Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee . Switzerland [February 2009] Joan Sutherland Biography Joan Sutherland Biography Find Joan Sutherland on Amazon.com Born November 7, 1926, in Sydney, Australia; daughter of William (a tailor) and Muriel (a singer; maiden name, Alston) Sutherland; married Richard Bonynge (a pianist and conductor) 1954; children: Adam. Education: Attended Royal College of Music in London. Addresses: c/o Ingpen and Williams, 14 Kensington Court, London W8, England.

At her Italian debut in 1960, the audience dubbed her "La Stupenda," and throughout her 40-year career, few who heard Australian-born coloratura soprano Joan Sutherland sing would disagree with that assessment. With her husband, pianist/conductor Richard Bonynge, Sutherland expanded the common operatic repertoire, adding works that had not been heard for decades. She lent her artistry to some of the finest performances of opera in this century, and music critics agree that her gifts to the world of music are undeniable. As a young child, Sutherland loved nothing better than to sit under the piano as her mother, a highly accomplished singer, practiced her craft. She also received more formal training from her mother, who very early instilled a proper understanding of the importance of breath support and vocal exercises. After graduating from high school, Sutherland went to work as a secretary by day and studied music by night. When she was 18, Sutherland won a competition for a two-year scholarship to study voice with a locally renowned singer named John Dickens.

In 1946, after her first two years with her new voice teacher, she made her public debut in German composer Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio at the Sydney Town Hall. Dickens extended her scholarship, and she began to think that her dream of singing at Covent Garden, the world-famous opera house in London, might be possible after all. Sutherland soon joined the Affiliated Music Clubs of New South Wales, where she met a young pianist named Richard Bonynge. The pair began performing locally together, and she regularly entered--and won--many vocal competitions in her native country. Sutherland came in first in the "Mobile Quest" competition sponsored by Vacuum Oil, an Australian company, in 1950. In addition to the prize money, she received a year-long singing contract for peformances all over the country. With her prize money and saved earnings, she left for England the following year. During her first year in England, Sutherland studied at the opera school of London's Royal College of Music. She met up with Bonynge again, who was also studying there. They began working together, and Bonynge proved to be an invaluable vocal coach.

By 1952, she realized her dream and started singing at Covent Garden. For the first few years, she sang relatively small parts, taking virtually anything offered her; then, gradually, she began singing larger, more important roles. Meanwhile, she kept working with Bonynge, whom she married in 1954, and continued to expand her vocal range. Sutherland's mother, a mezzo-soprano, had worked with Joan to develop her middle register. Dickens thought she might be a dramatic soprano, with a voice for the large, heavy roles of late nineteenth-century music. But Bonynge, an expert on the delicate "bel canto" repertoire of the early nineteenth century, realized that Sutherland's voice was lighter and more flexible than anyone had thought. As her vocal coach, he encouraged her to sing in her highest register, and with his help, she became a coloratura soprano, a rarity at the time.

After she received rave reviews for her first coloratura role in the Handel Opera Society's 1957 production of Alcina, Covent Garden's directors agreed to revive the gem of the bel canto repertoire, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, just for her. During the first half of the twentieth century, the bel canto repertoire--eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Italian operas of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti, which stressed vocal precision and agility--received little performance; they were simply out of fashion. World-famous coloratura Maria Callas began reviving these works in the 1950s. Although they were still not the most popular operas, when Sutherland was ready to sing bel canto, the audience was ready to listen. As Norma Major wrote in her biography Joan Sutherland, the singer "opened up the whole field of bel canto, demonstrating a style of singing thought to have vanished beyond recall." Sutherland's Covent Garden premiere as Lucia in 1959 was a smashing success. The following year she carried this success to international operatic circles, debuting in various roles in Italy, France, and the United States.

Having achieved worldwide fame by 1960, the following year she was given the opportunity to sing with two of the most important opera companies in the world: La Scala in Milan and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. For the next three decades, Sutherland traveled all over the world, performing in the best and most famous opera houses as one of the most renowned and sought-after sopranos. Sutherland's success was the product of hard work and common sense. She attributes her longevity as a singer to a sound technique resulting from a long and disciplined training. Always conscious of her health, she kept "social excesses at bay," wrote Major in Joan Sutherland. Sutherland carefully paced herself, accepted only those roles that were suited to her, conseved her voice before each performance, and tried not to exhaust herself with too many performances too close together. Throughout her career, Sutherland was sometimes faulted by music critics for unconvincing acting and poor enunciation. Few, however, would deny her overall contributions to the world of music.

As Rupert Christiansen wrote in Opera, "Sutherland's combination of precision in scales, runs and trills with control over dynamics and tone is, on the recorded evidence, unsurpassed." Her professionalism and hard work are legendary and have provided many budding singers with a realistic role model. As a singer, she was able to make more concrete contributions to the ephemeral world of music performance than many contemporary composers. She has enriched the lives of millions of music lovers and has left a large legacy of recordings for future generations. In 1983 Sutherland told Christiansen, "I think I'll be stopping soon. I'm getting a bit doddery. I can still get those top E-flats, but they give me a terrible headache. The traveling exhausts me. I want to spend more time at home gardening." Seven years after making that statement, Sutherland finally did retire. Her last role was in the 1990 production of Giacomo Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots in Sydney. Elizabeth Silsbury described Sutherland's final curtain call in Opera: "The last act over ... the curtain fell and formal bows were taken by [the six principal singers].

Then the full stage was shown, the whole company, minus one.... Then the curtain [fell] again and the whole house went dark and silent. Slowly the velvets parted, very slowly the lights came up, and there was the Great Dame, alone, center stage.... The house went berserk and exploded to attention, shouting wildly, pelting the Diva with daffodils and streamers until she was ankle deep in them. The whole company of the Australian Opera--artists, mechs and techs, wigs and wardrobes, management and make-up--joined her while we yelled and wept and beat our hands together." In her introduction to Major's biography, Sutherland wrote: "I was the fortunate choice for this wonderful life--I have loved it and it has brought me rich rewards in every sense....

I am quite incredulous and profoundly grateful that I was able to accomplish such an amount of work." by Robin Armstrong Joan Sutherland's Career Stage debut in Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Sydney Town Hall, 1946; operatic debut as Judith in Eugene Goossens's Judith, 1951; London debut as First Lady in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Die Zauberflote ("The Magic Flute"), Covent Garden, 1952; became international star as Lucia in Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, 1959; Italian debut in George Frideric Handel's Alcina, 1960; French debut in Lucia di Lammermoor, 1960; American debut in Alcina, 1960. Appeared in numerous other operas by Mozart, Handel, Donizetti, Bellini, Gioacchino Rossini, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Jules Massenet, Franz Lehar, Richard Strauss, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, and Jacques Offenbach. Retired in 1990.

Joan Sutherland's Awards Australia's Quest Award, 1951; named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, 1979; Grammy Award for best classical vocal soloist, 1981; named a fellow of the Royal College of Music, 1981; Order of Merit, England, 1991, and Sydney, Australia, 1992. Famous Works On Decca, except where noted Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor, 1962. Wagner: Siegfried, 1962. Jon Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti, 1975. Verdi: La Traviata, 1983. The Art of the Prima Donna, 1985. Joan Sutherland: Bel Canto Arias, 1986. Handel: Athalia, L'Oiseau-Lyre, 1986. Sutherland, Horne, and Pavarotti: Live from Lincoln Center, 1987. Mozart: Don Giovanni, EMI, 1987.

Rossini: Semiramide, Nuova Era, 1989. Donizetti: Lucrezia Borgia, 1989. Cancel or almost 7 years ago I ithink that Joan Sutherland is so wierd. i mean, even i could sing better than her! I was out on a boat and I played it on my radio for the first time and dead fish rose to the surface of the water, so i hate it! It also made my mum go deaf and my cat died to! anyone could sing better that her. She thinks she is so cool but really, she sucks!!! almost 8 years ago Joan Sutherland was someone I could listen to FOREVER...when I was in college in the mid to late 60s, I could literally be transported to hear only that voice, that technique...it left me breathless and limp. I could never achieve the range, but I did learn the art of singing the trill and moving up and down those scales from listening to her. She was a once-in-a-lifetime blessing to all who were privileged to hear her sing. My hat is off to her husband and teacher, Richard B.

about 8 years ago Thank you for your work condensing this important subject. Yet still I do not see the detail needed. With all the erroneous techniques abroad, it is vital to understand the method of physical support used my JS and which Pavoritti found to be so useful. Clearly the important body tension needed to sustain the energy had to be isolated from the upper vocal mechanism. The question for which I cannot find an answer; Does JS pull her lower abdominals inward while maintaining the noble stance? The answer would seem to be a clear YES, and although it would be helpful to say so, no-one ever does. Ta. over 8 years ago i think that joan sutherland is really good. i wish that this website had a more brief explanation about her, with more simpler words.i mean please. i am like SO tired of seeing websites with like 5 million weird words. Copyright © 2016 Net Industries - All Rights Reserved Dame Joan Sutherland facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Dame Joan Sutherland COPYRIGHT 2004 The Gale Group Inc.

Joan Sutherland Joan Sutherland (born 1926) is widely considered one of the best opera singers of her time, a soprano who specialized in the bel canto repertoire. Known for her lovely voice, excellent range, and commanding stage presence, Sutherland was dubbed "LaStupenda" by Italian critics. Sutherland was born on November 7, 1926, in Sydney, Australia, to William and Muriel (Alston) Sutherland. Her father, a Scottish immigrant and tailor, died of a heart attack on Sutherland's sixth birthday. Joan and her elder sister Barbara were raised by their mother, an amateur singer and music teacher, and members of her family. Early Musical Education While attending St. Catherine's Girls' School in Waverly, Sutherland received her first education in music, primarily piano, from her mother. Muriel Sutherland had been taught in the bel canto tradition which her daughter would later help revive interest in. However, her mother would not allow her to be trained vocally until after the age of 18. One of the most important lessons Sutherland's mother taught her was the importance of breathing correctly.

Despite a promising future in music, after leaving school at 16, Sutherland took a secretarial course and worked as a secretary at Sydney University as she trained for her singing career. In 1946 when Sutherland was 19 years old, she won a two-year scholarship for vocal training with John and Aida Dickens in Sydney in 1946. The couple helped Sutherland develop the upper range of her voice, which would prove important in her development as an opera singer. In 1947, Sutherland made her concert debut in Sydney as Dido in Dido and Aeneas. That same year, she met fellow music student Richard Bonynge, a pianist and her future husband, who would play a significant role in Sutherland's opera career. Continued Education in London Sutherland's future was determined by several important singing competition wins. In 1949, she won the Sun Aria competition and the 1950 Mobil Quest, among other singing competitions. Her successes allowed her to attend the Royal College of Music in London on scholarship in the early 1950s. With her mother, Sutherland moved to London and studied with Clive Carey at the prestigious institution.

Sutherland also received some training at London's Opera School. Sutherland made her debut with Royal Opera at Covent Garden in 1952, as the First Lady of The Magic Flute. She appeared as part of the company of the Royal Opera, which made its home at Covent Garden a number of years, essentially serving as its leading soprano. Among her early appearances were roles in Aida (1954) and Rigoletto. Sutherland first drew significant critical attention when she created the role of Jennifer in Michael Tippett's The Midsummer Marriage in 1955. Though Sutherland was not altogether pleased with her performance, by this time, her basic characteristics as a vocalist were there. Being a member of company allowed Sutherland to learn solid technique, which played into her vocal agility and purity. Learned Bel Canto Repertoire In 1954, Sutherland and Bonynge were married. He had come to London in 1950 to study. The couple had become reacquainted and married when Sutherland's mother made a trip back to Australia. The couple later had one son, Adam. Bonynge and Sutherland also formed a musical partnership.

He helped her learn how to reach higher notes in her flexible range as a lyric-coloratura soprano. It was through Bonynge's influence and tutelage that Sutherland learned the bel canto repertoire. At this time, the bel canto repertoire was relatively unfashionable. Bel canto (Italian for "beautiful singing") operas were primarily of the Italian romantic variety of the 18th and 19th centuries. Such operas featured roles that often used the kind of high range that Sutherland had successfully developed. Sutherland and Bonynge had been influenced by Maria Callas, who had first revived the bel canto repertoire. The couple attended many of her rehearsals and performances at Covent Garden, and Sutherland modeled her vocal stylings on Callas. Sutherland performed in such bel canto operas by Vincenzo Bellini, Geatano Donzietti, Gioacchino Rossi, and others. Sutherland appeared in a 1952 production of Bellini's Norma as Clothide with Callas as the Druid priestess Sutherland had wanted to do more Wagner, as was regularly put on at Covent Garden, but Bonynge talked her out of it.

He believed such heavy works did not suit her voice and vocal strengths. Though Sutherland did perform some Wagner and similar works, Sutherland later believed that she would not have had such a long career if she had focused on such operas. Because of her and her husband's enthusiastic embrace of works in the bel canto repertoire, the genre was revived. By the 1960s, Bonynge began conducting her productions and the pair eventually came as a package. This subjected the couple to criticism over the years. Received International Acclaim In 1959, Sutherland cemented her reputation as a superior coloratura soprano in her acclaimed turn as Lucia in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor at Covent Garden. With her husband, Sutherland studied the source material for the opera, a novel by Sir Walter Scott. She grew to love this role, which she would play over 100 times, though her interpretation of Lucia would change as she matured. The 1959 production was directed by Italian director Franco Zeffirelli who gave Sutherland some acting training. Sutherland herself was more concerned with her vocals and stage presence than acting.

As she told Susan Heller Anderson of the New York Times, "If you want to see a wonderful actress, you go to see a straight play. … You can't be as emotionally involved when you sing as when you're acting. There are many singing actresses who do the sort of roles that don't demand the vocal techniques of bel canto." Despite a brief setback when Sutherland had to have an operation on her sinuses, she made her first of many appearances in the United States, as Alcina in Alcina in Dallas, Texas, in 1960. Though her voice continued to evolve, her range and tone were especially noted. In 1961, Sutherland made her debut at New York City's Metropolitan Opera, again as Lucia in Lucia. That same year, Sutherland had a triumphant appearance at Milan's famous La Scala. It was here that she was given the honored nickname of "La Stupenda." This was arguably the best appearance on stage in her career. From the early 1960s to the end of her career, Sutherland regularly appeared in the major opera houses in the United States and Europe, as well as other countries in the world.

But she did not forget her roots in Australia. She brought her own opera company there between 1965 and 1974. Sutherland then regularly appeared with Sydney's Australian Opera because Bonynge served as music director there between the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. Though the couple's legal residence was in Montreaux, Switzerland— where they lived since 1964 and could exist relatively anonymously—she still lived in Sydney for a number of months during the year. Sutherland often played roles that she had done well before in works like Lucia di Lammermoor, La Traviata, and The Tales of Hoffmann. Sutherland continued to challenge herself as an artist, even late in her career. In the 1970s, she took on more dramatic soprano roles in operas like Maria Stuarda and Lucrezia Borgia by Donzietti and Leonora in Il trovatore. Though Sutherland's voice and its flexibility remained strong points throughout her stage life, critics had often criticized her poor diction, a common problem for coloratura sopranos.

Sutherland addressed this issue with some success by the early 1980s. Even as Sutherland entered her sixties, she was able to take on new roles because of her dedication and skill, even though learning new roles was hard for her because of a relatively poor memory. As her range changed with age, however, she did had to have some parts rewritten in a lower key. Retired from Opera Stage By the late 1980s, Sutherland had decided that she would retire in the early 1990s. On October 2, 1990, she made her last appearance in an opera, singing Margaret de Valois in a Sydney production of Les Huguenots. Her last song was an operatic version of "Home Sweet Home." Over the course of her career, she had sung in 48 operas and had recorded 60 albums. After retirement, Sutherland has remained active in a number of arenas both related and not related to opera. She is involved in the opera world by acting as a judge in major singing competitions like the Queen Elisabeth in Brussels, Belgium.

She also taught, often with her husband, some master classes, though she did not like the limited possibilities of the format. Made Screen and Literary Debuts Though Sutherland's acting was often a weak point for many critics, she tried her hand at film acting in a 1994 release. It was not the first time that she was offered a role in a movie. When Sutherland was in Italy in 1959, Federico Fellini wanted to cast her in his film La Dolce Vita, without even knowing who she was. She was advised against it by Zeffirelli and Anita Ekberg took on the role. Sutherland later regretted her decision. After a year of convincing by Anthony Buckley, Sutherland agreed to play the unglamorous role of Mother Rudd in On our Selection, a film based on an Australian play based on sketches by Steele Rudd. Sutherland was still eager to learn during the production and improve herself as an actress, though she did not prepare for the role. Three years later, Sutherland published her autobiography, The Autobiography of Joan Sutherland: A Prima Donna's Progress. Sutherland wrote the book herself instead of working with ghost writer, beginning soon after her retirement.

Though critics chided her for not revealing more of herself and found the book hard to read because it was bogged down in details, Sutherland hoped to show aspiring opera singers how to train properly and what it takes to have a long career. As she told Chris Pasles of the Los Angeles Times of her own experiences in opera, "I've had a wonderful career. It outran everything I expected… ." Books Arnold, John, and Deidre Morris, editors, Monash Biographical Dictionary of 20th Century Australia, Reed Reference Publishing, 1994. Atkinson, Ann, The Dictionary of Famous Australians, Allen & Unwin, 1992. Greenfield, Edward, Joan Sutherland, Drake Publishers, Inc., 1973. Guinn, John and Les Stone, editors, The St. James Opera Encyclopedia, Visible Ink, 1997. Kuhn, Laura, Baker's Dictionary of Opera, Schirmer Books, 2000. Kuhn, Laura, compiler, Baker's Student Encyclopedia of Music, Vol. 3, Schirmer Books, 1999. Periodicals The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.

Copyright The Columbia University Press Dame Joan Sutherland, 1926–2010, Australian coloratura soprano and one of the most famous singers of the 20th cent. Sutherland studied in her hometown of Sydney, where she made her concert debut (1947) in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and her operatic debut (1951) in Eugene Goossen's Judith. She moved to London in 1951 and studied at the Royal College of Music. Sutherland was acclaimed for her astounding range, from low G to above high C; for her warm and vibrant voice, intense yet lyrical; and for her superb, seemingly effortless technique. Beginning in 1952 she was a leading singer at London's Royal Opera House Covent Garden. She debuted at both La Scala, Milan and the Metropolitan Opera in 1961. Sutherland was considered unsurpassed among her contemporaries in the bel canto repertory. She was particularly celebrated for her singing of the title role in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. She frequently performed with her husband, Richard Bonynge, conducting.

She was created a Dame of the British Empire in 1978, and she retired in 1990. See her autobiography (1997) and J. Sutherland and R. Bonynge, The Joan Sutherland Album (1986); biographies by R. R. Braddon (1962), E. Greenfield (1973), B. Adams (1980), and N. Major (1987, repr. 1994); Q. Eaton, Sutherland and Bonynge: An Intimate Biography (1987); M. Oxenbould, Joan Sutherland: A Tribute (1989). Cite this article The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music © The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. Sutherland, (Dame) Joan (b Sydney , NSW, 1926). Australian soprano. Début Sydney 1947 in concert perf. of Dido and Aeneas. Created title-role in Goossens's Judith, NSW Cons., 1951.

CG début 1952. Created Jenifer in The Midsummer Marriage, 1955. Glyndebourne début 1956 (in Liverpool), at Glyndebourne 1957. Sang New Prioress in f. Eng. p. of Les dialogues des Carmélites, 1958. Under guidance of Richard Bonynge, whom she married 1954, developed dramatic coloratura possibilities of bel canto roles. Had enormous success as Lucia di Lammermoor, CG 1959. Amer. début ( Dallas ) 1960; débuts La Scala and NY Met 1961. Revived many Donizetti and Bellini roles. Took own opera co. to Australia 1965 and 1974. Retired 1990. CBE 1961. DBE 1979. OM 1991.

Cite this article Famed opera singer Joan Sutherland dies | Variety Famed opera singer Joan Sutherland dies October 11, 2010 | 01:47PM PT 'La Stupenda' soprano singer was successor to Maria Callas Joan Sutherland, the famed coloratura soprano often mentioned in the same breath as her operatic contemporary Maria Callas, died Oct. 10 in Geneva after a long illness. She was 83. Known as La Stupenda to Italian fans, Kolaturawunder in Germany and the Incomparable to English-speaking buffs, Sutherland was a star of the opera stage from the ’50s through her retirement in 1990. A specialist in the Italian bel canto repertory, she was featured with all of the greatest international companies, directed by such notables as Franco Zeffirelli and working opposite leading men like tenor Luciano Pavarotti, who toured Australia with Sutherland in 1963 and made his 1965 U.S. debut opposite her. Born in Australia, Sutherland first studied voice and piano with her mother.

She made her concert debut at 20 in 1947 as Dido in Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas,” and made her stage debut in Sydney in 1951. Sutherland moved to London in 1951; after further studies, she joined the Covent Garden opera company the following year. She would work frequently with conductor Richard Bonynge, whom she married in 1954. Originally schooled as a Wagnerian soprano, she developed the upper end of her vocal range with Bonynge’s encouragement, and attained acclaim for her peerless high-register work. She rose to world fame after her 1959 performance in the title role of Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” in a Covent Garden production directed by Zeffirelli, who also helmed her 1960 Venice debut in Handel’s “Alcina.” She bowed in the Donizetti role at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1960. She took five leading roles at Milan’s La Scala from 1961-66.

Her best-known roles included the titular lead in Bellini’s “Norma” and Cleopatra in Handel’s “Giulio Cesare”; she also performed all three soprano parts in Offenbach’s “The Tales of Hoffman.” In a 2002 interview, she said she viewed her performance in Massenet’s “Esclarmonde” as her greatest achievement. She was feted at the 2004 Kennedy Center Honors and Queen Elizabeth honored her as a dame of the British Empire in 1978. She is survived by Bonynge, a son and two grandchildren.

Question: Which opera singer did conductor Richard Bonynge marry in 1954?
Answer: JOAN SUTHERLAND